No Good Deed Goes Unpunished [E225]
Thanks to our Partners, Pico Technology, Autel, and Independent Wrench Jobs
Matt opens with a home-repair “birthday gift” project that spirals from a simple bathroom refresh into a full-blown floor/toilet/subfloor/plumbing/trim/electrical ordeal. What starts as a kind gesture turns into a week-long marathon of improvisation, problem-solving, and unexpected complications.
From there, he ties the experience directly into life in the repair shop: helping someone out, taking on a difficult job, making an exception, or trying to do the right thing can sometimes backfire in spectacular fashion. But the real point of the episode is deeper than the saying “no good deed goes unpunished.” Matt argues that the phrase feels true mostly because of bias, we remember the painful, sideways jobs and forget the many times helping people went just fine.
The takeaway: keep doing the good deeds. The occasional disaster isn’t punishment for being helpful; it’s just part of the game, and our brains are wired to remember the bad outcomes more vividly.
Key Topics Covered
- A “simple” bathroom repair that became a major renovation
- Hidden damage and how small symptoms often point to bigger problems
- Improvisation and mechanical aptitude outside your normal field
- How this mirrors difficult jobs in automotive repair
- The “charity case” / exception job that turns into a nightmare
- Bias, memory, and why bad outcomes stick harder than good ones
- Why you should still help people when it makes sense
Main Takeaways
- Small problems often hide bigger ones. (At home and in the shop.)
- Doing the right thing can get messy — that doesn’t make it wrong.
- We remember painful exceptions more than routine wins.
- Bias can distort how we judge “helping people.”
- Keep helping when you can. The bad outcomes are memorable, but they are not the whole story.
Notable Moments / Discussion Highlights
- Matt’s “cheap labor” role in a birthday bathroom remodel
- Discovering a corroded toilet flange and badly rotted floor
- Reinforcing unsupported bathtub flooring and rebuilding structure
- Plumbing improvisation under a new vanity
- Upgrading to GFCI in a bathroom that didn’t have one
- The repair-shop analogy: the customer who arrives after multiple failed attempts elsewhere
- Making exceptions (like customer-supplied parts) and regretting the one time it blows up
- Why “no good deed goes unpunished” feels true — because bad outcomes are easier to remember
- Closing encouragement to keep doing good work and helping people
Quotes / Lines Worth Pulling
- “No good deed goes unpunished.” (episode theme / setup)
- “I make it up as I go.” (great humility + problem-solving angle)
- “More importantly, it doesn’t leak.”
- “It’s not because it’s a good deed. It was just going to happen eventually anyway.”
- “It lines up with our biases, and gives us a reason to complain.”
Thanks to our Partner, Pico Technology
Are you chasing elusive automotive problems? Pico Technology empowers you to see what's really happening. Their PicoScope oscilloscopes transform your diagnostic capabilities. Visit PicoAuto.com
Thanks to our Partner, Autel
From drivability diagnostics and TPMS service to ADAS and advanced safety systems, Autel helps technicians follow OEM procedures and repair with confidence. Learn more at Autel.com
Thanks to our Partner, Independent Wrench Jobs
Independent Wrench Jobs is a new, tech-only community to help you find better independent shops—fair dispatch, steady work, real leadership. No games.
Built by Technician Find—serving the industry since 2017. Join free at IndependentWrenchJobs.com
Contact Information
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